Spring construction.



L. A. YOUNG.

SPRING CONSTRUCTION.

I I APPLICATlON FILED DEC.15,|916- I 1 ,Q37,44Q. Patented Aug. 21, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET I- L. A. YOUNG.

SPRING CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 15, I916.

Patented Aug. 21, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- structed LEONARD A. YOUNG, E HIGHLAND PARK, MICHIGAN.

SPRING CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented A11 21, 1917.

Application filed December 15, 1916. Serial No. 137,147.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEONARD A.YOUNG, a citizen of the United States, residlng at Highland Park, county of Vvayne, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Spring Construc- 3 tion; and declare the following to bea full,

panying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to cushlon Springs for automobiles, and especially to seat-back springs. It has for its object a seat spring so constructed that the arches at the edges of the spring or at the top and bottom of the seat-back spring are not ordinarily distorted when the upholstering is drawn tightly over the springs, as is customary in present trimming jobs. It is also so conthat the face of the spring as a whole when subjected to stress, moves in upon the base of the spring parallel therewith. This is accomplished by using a set of arches at both edges which have two parts, with the two parts hinging, and which are also swiveled to the base of the spring and also to the face of the sprlng.

These features will more particularly ap-' pear in the following description.

In the drawings,-

Figure 1 is a cross section of the spring Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line BB of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line C-C of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an end view showing the spring under stress and indicating how the front of the spring moves in upon the base keeping substantially parallel thereto.

In seat-back spring manufacturing it has been found that considerable difiiculty is encountered because of the breaking of the arch springs that are now almost universally used at the top of the spring to help build out the so-called upholstering roll and eliminate the great body of hair heretofore used.

- When these springs break, they of course,

lessen. the supporting surface at the top and the upholstering is liable to drop through and often wires will protrude through the hair and also through the leather.

It is the object of this invention to do away as much as possible with the strain upon the arches, and to this end I have found that a spring of maximum endurance is secured'by designing the same with twopart arches at both-top'and bottom and having these two arches hinged together.

The arches are designated a, a, and are made up oftwo parts hinged together by bands 0 and are also hinged to the base frame and the front frame by similar bands. The arch parts'are preferably constructed in the form of Ws as these will give a three-point connection for the arches at-the top and a twopoint connection for the arches with the base frame and the front frame; the former designated 6 and the latter cl. Along the apices of the arches I provide a connecting rod 6. It is obvious that these bands 0 passing around the three points of the W arch parts and around the rod 6 hinge the arches together at the top and that similar bands around the bases of the W arch parts and the frame portions of b and cl as shown in Fig. 3, hinge the arches to these frames. Consequently when a stress strikes the spring, especially a stress such as it experiences when one rests against the spring, the front frame of the spring approaches the base frame 6, keeping in substantially parallel relation, and the arches hinge together, and the whole spring really widens out in much the same way as lazy tongs will widen when they are folded together.

Now another feature which has an important relation to a cushion spring of this type but which is also of use in other cushion springs, is the provision of one or more whirls of the coil or hour-glass springs z" to the outside of the front frame. This is best shown in Fig. 1. The purpose of this is not only to form a soft yielding surface next adjacent the occupant but it also serves to take up the stress due to a trimmer drawing the upholstering tightly over the springs. Heretofore when the trimmer draws the upholstering tightly over the springs and tacks it in place, the arches are at once put under a constant stress, that is to say, they are distorted and. forever kept distorted from their normal position. Now by using these extra whirls to the outside of the front frame, this stress comes upon these whirls which can bear it without any likelihood of breakage, and the arches start out in usage in their normal shape. This is quite an advantage. It is especially useful in connection with the cushion spring which collapses upon the lines above indicated, for it is noted that as shown in Fig. 4, the cushion spring widens. Consequently the upholstering not being strained down upon the arches, these arches have more freedom for assuming such a widened position as shown in Fig. 4 than would be the case if the upholstering had been drawn tightly over the'arches so as to keep them in a normal state of distortion.

hat I claim is:

1. In a spring construction, a base, a front frame, and coil springs connected with the base and the front frame, the latter connection being inside of the end whirls of the springs whereby someof the whirls of the springs protrude to the outside of the front frame. 7

2. In a spring construction, the combination of a base, a front frame, coil springs connecting the two and having whirls protrudingto the outside of the front frame, and arches connecting the base and front frame and tending to elongate when the front frame approaches the base under stress.

3. In a spring construction, the combination of a base, a front, a plurality of partarches of W form connecting the base and front at opposite edges of the spring construction, means for banding the bases of the Ws to the front and base so as to hinge with respect thereto, and means for band ing the tops of the Ws together so they will hinge, substantially as described.

In testimonywhereof, I sign this specification.

LEONARD A. YOUNG.

Copies of this patent maybe obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington. D. 0. 

